Tool for splicing wires



No. 608,467. Patented Aug. 2, I898.

. H. L. MAITLAND.

- TOOL FOR SPLICING WIRES.

(Application filed Dec. 5; 1836.)

(No Model.)

WITNESSES INVENTOR,

6W a z HOWARD L. MA/TL AND, z m dz 9% flaw Aftormy UNITED STATES,-

PATENT OFFICE.

. HOWARD LANSING MAITLAND, OF NANTUCKET, MASSACHUSETTS.

TOOL FOR SPL|C |NG WIRES.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 608,467, dated August 2,1898. Application liled Deoem'ber 5, 1896. Serial No. 614,620. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HOWARD LANSING MAITLAND, a citizen of the'UnitedStates, residing at Nantucket, in the county of Nantucket and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inDevices for Making Joints in Wire, 850.; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

The present invention relates to linemens tools, and more particularlyto a tool or device for forming joints or unions in telegraph andtelephone wires.

It has long been the practice to form a joint or union between themeeting ends of wires,-

and particularly telegraph and telephone wires, by overlapping the'endsof the wires and coiling the free ends of each wire around the oppositewire, such coiling in order to make a secure and sightly joint beingclose and even. Such joints are extremely difficult to make by the useof the ordinary hand-pliers, inasmuch as the wires are usually quitestiif and not easily bent. Various special tools have heretofore beenproposed for assisting in the coiling of the wires in making thesejoints, but in none of them, so far as I am at present advised, has itbeen proposed to provide an efficient bending device to bend the wireand a setting or finishing device to act upon the coil following thebending device, whereby a perfectly smooth coil will be produced.

The object of the present invention is to produce a simple and efficienttool which will enable a close and compact coil to be produced in makingthe union or joint in the meeting ends of Wires.

To the above end the present invention consists of the devices andcombination of devices which will'be hereinafter described and claimed.

The present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 represents the tool in front elevation as it appearswhen being operated to form the joint. Fig. 2.represents a sideelevation of the tool removed from the wires,

and Fig. 3 represents a longitudinal section through the operating endof the tool.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts throughoutthe drawings.

In the drawings, A represents the main or body portion of the tool,which may be pro- .vided with any suitable handle or device arranged tobe grasped by the hand of the operator in operating the tool, suchhandle in the present invention, as illustrated in the drawings,comprising an ordinary tool-handle B, into which the shankw of the bodyportion A is inserted in a manner common to tools of various kinds.

The body portion A of the tool is preferably made of steel or anysuitable metal, and the forward portion thereof is relatively wider thanthe rear portion, the rear portion being cut away, as shown at a, toform the shank 00. As shown in the drawings, the shank m is inserted inthe handle B to such an extent as to leave the shoulders formed bycutting away the body portion A to form said shank projecting or removedsome distance beyond the end of the handle B, and said shoulders arebeveled off or sharpened, as shown at a, so as to produce scraping edgesor blades adapted for scraping oif the insulating-covering when thejoint is being made in insulated wires or for scraping off andbrightening the ends of an uncovered wire or conductor at the ends whichare to be united for the purpose of forming a perfect electrical as wellas a mechanical union between the wires.

The outer end of the body portion A is provided with a supporting andguiding hook, which is arranged to engage the end of the wire aroundwhich the end of the opposite wire is to be coiled for the purpose ofsupporting and guiding the tool in forming the coil, and a supportingand finishing hook, which is arranged to engage over the coiled end ofthe wire as the coil is formed, and intermediate of these hooks is abending or coiling device, all as will be hereinafter particularly setforth. 7 j

- As shown in the drawings, in the formation of the hooks the main orbody portion A at its forward end is bifurcated by a slot a said slotbeing preferably arranged as shown, so as to leave a broad arm a and anarrow arm a". These arms are bent to form the hooks a and a", theshanks of said hooks being disposed at an angle to the main or bodyportion A, as shown in the side elevation, and the bills thereofterminating in substantially the same plane and arranged parallel to theshanks. As shown in the drawings, the hook a is smaller than the hooka", the shank and bill of the hook a being arranged substantiallyparallel to the shank and bill of the hook a", and the hook a in theoperation of my device is arranged to fit the end of the wire aboutwhich the end of the opposite wire is to be coiled and support and guidethe tool in the formation of such coil. The larger hook a is designed toengage the coil which is being formed, and, while assisting insupporting the tool during the formation of the coil, it acts upon saidcoil innncdiately following the ceiling device and tends to set andsmooth and give a proper finish to such coil.

The bending or coil-forming device may be the base of the slot (1?; but,as shown in the drawings, such coiling device is preferably formed by awheel or roll C, which is fitted in the slot a upon a pin c, said wheelG being held to loosely revolve upon pin 0.

The wheel (I is preferably grooved, as shown, to perfectly engage theend of the wire being coiled, and it may be supported upon the bodyportion A in any suitable manner. As shown in the drawings, the bodyportion A is provided with webs 0, between which the wheel 0 issupported.

I11 the operation of the invention the two ends of the wires to bejoined may be first cleaned or scraped by the beveled edges a for adistance which is deemed necessary by the operator to form an efficientelectrical connection. Then such wires are securely held with their endsoverlapped by a linemans vise or other suitable tool and the end to befirst coiled is given a partial twist or bend around the opposite wire,said end being left projecting at substantially a right angle to thelength of the wire. The tool is then placed upon the wire, the smallerhook (t being engaged with the wire about which the coil is to be formedand the end of the wire which is to be coiled within the slot (0 andagainst thefgrooved wheel C, the large hook a embracing the wire uponthe opposite side of the wheel 0. The tool is now properly supported andis grasped by the operator by the handle 13 and revolved around thewires, which causes the wheel 0 to bend and closely coil the projectingend of the wire around the opposite wire, and as said coil is formed thetool will move along said wires, the smaller hook moving in advance ofthe coil and the larger hook following the coil and acting to smooth andproperly set the same. After one coil has been formed said tool isremoved and the end of the opposite wire is correspondingly coiled.

It is to be noted that by this device the unions or joints which arecommonly made in joining the ends of wires can be made with ease andrapidity, the coil being close and compact, forming an efficientelectrical and mechanical connect-ion between the wires.

It is of course to be understood that in forming the hooks a and a theymay be made of a size suitable for producing the best results and thatthey may be bent at a different angle with relation to the body portionA than that shown in the drawings.

Having described the construction and mode of operation of my invention,I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates 1.. A tool for forming coiled joints or unions between the endsof wires, said tool comprising a supporting and guiding hook, a support'ing and smoothing hook, and a bending or ceiling device located betweensaid hooks, said hooks having substantially parallel shanks and billsthe supporting and guiding hook arranged to support and guide the toolin advance of the coil being formed, and the supporting and smoothinghook arranged to act upon the coil as said coil is formed, substantiallyas described.

2. A tool for forming coiled joints or unions in the meeting ends ofwires, said tool comprising relatively large and small hooks arrangedside by side with their shanks and bills parallel to each other, and acoilingwheel located between said hooks, substantially as described.

3. A tool for forming coiled joints or unions, said tool comprising aplate having a bifurcated end, said bifurcated end being bent to form asupporting and guiding hook, and a supporting and smoothing hook, saidhooks being of different diameters, and a bending or guiding wheeljournaled between said hooks, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

HOWARD MXSING MM'IMNI). Witnesses:

\VM. T. DEVLAN, F. l 'DnvnAN.

IIO

